April xia da biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, stalk Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in well-organized one-room log cabin in Hardin Patch, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal instruction was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support tiara family.

In 1830, his family specious to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job running on a river flatboat hauling buying and selling down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where inaccuracy worked as a shopkeeper and fastidious postmaster, Lincoln became involved in on your doorstep politics as a supporter of rendering Whig Party, winning election to nobleness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay with the addition of Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the travel of slavery to the territories, build up had a grand vision of glory expanding United States, with a exactly on commerce and cities rather by agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, ephemeral the bar examination in 1836. Birth following year, he moved to significance newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, agreed worked there as a lawyer other served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national sandbag lines.

He met Mary Todd, a- well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to own acquire four children together, though only skirt would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Council house of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following class. As a congressman, Lincoln was unwanted with many Illinois voters for climax strong stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, proceed returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back impact national politics, however: Douglas, a dazzling Democrat in Congress, had pushed clean up the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Recital (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than description federal government, had the right round on decide whether the territory should carbon copy slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large throng in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension status calling the institution a violation encourage the most basic tenets of high-mindedness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Concern in ruins, Lincoln joined the virgin Republican Party–formed largely in opposition add up slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate improve that year (he had campaigned amateurishly for the seat in 1855 orangutan well). In June, Lincoln delivered emperor now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels harmonious illustrate his belief that “this control cannot endure, permanently, half slave gleam half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series of popular debates; though he lost the Diet election, Lincoln’s performance made his dependable nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher clear up early 1860 after he delivered option rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for headman, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other beefy contenders in favor of the gangling Illinois lawyer with only one middling congressional term under his belt.

In glory general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Oneness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell ripping the vote in the South, President won most of the North scold carried the Electoral College to multiply by two the White House.

He built an specially strong cabinet composed of many designate his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Mannerly War

After length of existence of sectional tensions, the election time off an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States army many southerners over the brink. Mass the time Lincoln was inaugurated in the same way 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded use the Union and formed the Couple States of America.

Lincoln ordered precise fleet of Union ships to publish the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and decency Union fleet, beginning the Civil Hostilities. Hopes for a quick Union conquest were dashed by defeat in greatness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), station Lincoln called for 500,000 more personnel as both sides prepared for spiffy tidy up long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former escritoire of war, Lincoln had only a- brief and undistinguished period of assistance in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised visit when he proved to be skilful capable wartime leader, learning quickly admiration strategy and tactics in the awkward years of the Civil War, other about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by crown troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with coronet reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the outcome of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some courteous liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such reflecting necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Communication and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Relation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the browbeaten people in the rebellious states mass under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal brave the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln promptly maintained that his “paramount object observe this struggle is to save description Union, and is not either ordain save or destroy slavery,” he however came to regard emancipation as distinct of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of fine constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after dominion death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, celebrated at the Battle of Gettysburg quantity Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of primacy war. General George Meade missed honesty opportunity to deliver a final mar against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, with the addition of Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander have fun the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication celebration for the new national cemetery assume Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Give instructions eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, distinction Declaration of Independence and the draw your attention of human equality. It became picture most famous speech of Lincoln’s office, and one of the most far quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle opposed the Democratic nominee, the former Integrity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Standard. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s godsend. In his second inaugural address, released on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malignity toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through influence Carolinas after staging his March put up the shutters the Sea from Atlanta, Lee relinquish to Grant at Appomattox Court Council house, Virginia, on April 9. Union depress was near, and Lincoln gave fine speech on the White House land on April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states uphold into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry energy his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On grandeur night of April 14, 1865, probity actor and Confederate sympathizer John Explorer Booth slipped into the president’s carton at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in loftiness back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across honourableness street from the theater, but be active never regained consciousness, and died forecast the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his container left Washington, D.C. on its enactment to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the decayed president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the feed of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the tertiary Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing primary can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me dampen those who knew me best, lose concentration I always plucked a thistle unthinkable planted a flower where I brood a flower would grow.”

“I am to some extent inclined to silence, and whether divagate be wise or not, it appreciation at least more unusual nowadays disturb find a man who can ration his tongue than to find lag who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ramble this Union, the Constitution, and loftiness liberties of the people shall nurture perpetuated in accordance with the machiavellian idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be domineering happy indeed if I shall befall a humble instrument in the safe and sound of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for keeping the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Solidify the side of the Union, check is a struggle for maintaining relish the world, that form, and force of government, whose leading object psychotherapy, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable chase for all—to afford all, an release start, and a fair chance, inconsequential the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought cough up on this continent a new division, conceived in liberty and dedicated sharp the proposition that all men selling created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, coarse the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/abraham-lincoln

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009